With the summer transfer window upon us, it seems as if there may be more movement than expected at Chelsea after their end to the current season.
Chelsea are embarking on a defining boardroom shift ahead of the summer transfer window following the appointment of Xabi Alonso. Moving away from the heavily criticised model of exclusively hoarding raw, unproven youngsters, the recruitment team is turning to proven talent.
Alonso has supposedly been granted managerial control over the rebuild, identifying a commanding starting centre-back as one of his non-negotiable summer priorities.
Crystal Palace’s World Cup-bound defender Maxence Lacroix is one name that has come up, with him confirmed to be leaving this summer.
While highly-rated prospects like Geovany Quenda are already secured for the future, the primary focus is now firmly on battle-tested Premier League quality.
How would you rate Chelsea’s season 1️⃣-🔟?
A 10th place finish and no silverware for the Blues!
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Chelsea need to sell more players than they originally thought
According to an excerpt from The Athletic, Chelsea may need to sell more players than originally planned to avoid breaching UEFA regulations and protect themselves from a future European ban.
This comes after Alonso demanded that Chelsea keep both Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez this summer, who have both been linked with exits.
They’re not the only two players either, as the likes of Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer have been rumoured for potential moves to Barcelona and Manchester United respectively.
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Chelsea’s current financial position
Chelsea’s catastrophic failure to qualify for European football on the final day of the season has triggered severe financial panic behind the scenes.
Having already posted a record-breaking £262.4 million pre-tax loss, missing out on crucial continental broadcasting and matchday revenue leaves the club dangerously exposed.
Without European income to balance the books, the Blues now face a real threat unless they execute a massive summer player clearance sale.
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